Chapter Twenty One
The things one could learn with a simple phone call. Moriah hummed as she boxed the last of her goodies up. She’d briefly met the men who’d rescued Dante at the hospital, but “thank you” hadn’t seemed enough. A decadent chocolate on chocolate cake for Sawyer, a lemon meringue pie for Phoenix, and for Dante, since she was delivering and using one of his conference rooms, apple cinnamon filled cupcakes. Cael and Thane would have a chocolate cake to share.
She’d also made pies for the two men, Isaac and Leif, who’d been tasked to watch over and escort her wherever she needed to go since Cael, Dante, and Thane were all busy today. If they were going to watch her while she cooked, they should get something out of it. She carried the boxes out to the living room and grabbed her purse.
“Are you two ready to go?” She glanced back at Leif, who’d followed her from the kitchen.
“Are you sure you want to go into the city?” Leif paused beside the couch.
“Yes, I’ve arranged for the realtor friend of Dante’s to meet me at his office building, because it was the most secure place we could think of other than here. I have to stop by Gar-corp to drop Phoenix’s pie off, and then we’re going straight to Dante’s. Well, other than Sawyer’s house, I want to drop this off with him first.” She patted the top box before carefully lowering them all into a bag.
The insurance payment had been approved. Time to look for a location. It might be a while before she could open again. Each location would need to be researched before she picked one and made an offer. She’d need to order equipment and supplies as well as hire bakers and other workers. The only things she could bring from her old bakery were the recipes and the name. Nothing else survived.
“We’ll call for another car and men to follow us. Dante would rip our heads off if we headed out with just one car after what happened with him.” Isaac nodded, his gorgeous blond hair falling forward, before he whirled around to grab his jacket. He pulled out a phone. “We’ll meet them after we drop that first package off.”
“If that’s what it takes.” She lifted her shoulders. Whatever was necessary to get these to the people she intended.
“Good. We can leave now, and by the time we get to the gate, the other car should be waiting for us.” Isaac led the way to the door.
She smiled and followed. She slipped into the backseat of the SUV and put her packages beside her. After she buckled her seat belt, she pulled the bag into her lap. Isaac drove, and Leif sat in the passenger seat. Both men were armed. That became obvious when they had taken off their jackets. With the suit jacket, they looked like businessmen, without it, some type of modern-day gunslinger.
They stopped at the house Sawyer shared with Phoenix and their other bondmate. Leif got out first, and Isaac stepped out second. When Isaac nodded, she opened her door and hopped out with the double chocolate cake.
Leif strolled down the sidewalk in front of her. He rang the doorbell even before she reached the steps. Definitely relaxed. Normally, her guards didn’t stray too far from her. That wouldn’t happen once they left the community.
The door opened, and Sawyer, a man with shoulder-length brown hair, stood there, staring. “Well, hello, is there anything wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I wanted to bring this by as a thank-you for helping Dante.” She smiled and held out the box. Cael had gotten the plain white boxes for her last night.
He reached out and took it, inhaling as he lifted it to his nose. “We didn’t do anything special. Anyone here would have stopped to help someone who was being attacked.”
“That may be, but the person you helped is special to me so I wanted to show my appreciation.” She laughed. “Dante is very important to me and this is small, but I hope you enjoy it.”
“If it tastes even half as good as it smells, I’ll have it eaten before dinner tonight. Thank you.” Sawyer smiled.
“You’re welcome. Now, I’ve got to go. I have a meeting coming up.” She nodded and turned.
“Do you need any extra hands?” Sawyer asked.
“No, we have extra men waiting at the gate,” Isaac shook his head. “But thanks for offering.”
Leif escorted her down the sidewalk and back to the SUV. She climbed inside and once again picked up her bag. Isaac climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. They headed for the gate. Another car fell in behind them as they pulled up in front of it. The metal gates swung open.
They drove to the city. On the way, they passed a few cars, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Moriah let out a slow breath and rolled her shoulders. If anything had happened, Dante would want to keep her in the community until they caught the things behind this. That would drive her crazy. He was already overprotective.
They pulled into the parking building at Gar-corp. Leif turned in the seat, looking back at her.
“Stay where you are until we tell you to move. Then we head straight for the elevator at that end.” Leif pointed to the opposite end of the building. “The elevator connects to the offices, but the only way to get in from this side is with a card and it will take us to the lobby level.”
“All right.” She nodded. Not an easy or short stop but what was necessary to finish the task.
When the car stopped. Leif and Isaac climbed out of the vehicle. They looked around and waited until the other men had exited their car before nodding to her. She slid out and grabbed the next package. With her purse over her shoulder, she was ready to go.
Leif and Isaac escorted her to the elevator, and they stepped into it. It took them down to the lobby. She signed in as a guest and received a temporary badge. Leif and Isaac guided her over to another bank of elevators. She stepped on and waited as it rose. More steps than expected, but they probably had reason for their security measures.
When the lift stopped on the second floor, Isaac led the way to an office. He knocked on the door. After a short sound, Isaac pushed the door open and led the way in. She followed, peering around.
“Moriah, I hadn’t heard you’d be out today.” Phoenix rose to his feet.
“Dante doesn’t know that I’m here. It’s a surprise. I wanted to drop this by. It’s just a small thank-you for helping Dante out the other night.” She put the box with the pie on the desk.
“You didn’t have to do anything. We just showed up. Dante was doing good on his own and would have taken them both. Aside from that, it’s just the right thing to do.” Phoenix inhaled and reached for the pie.
“I know you were only doing what you expected of yourself, but he’s important to me.” Moriah lifted a shoulder. Didn’t anyone ever thank them even if they were just doing their jobs?
“Well, thank you for the pie.” Phoenix opened up the box and made a humming sound.
“You’re welcome. Now, I have to go. I have a meeting. Have a nice day.” Moriah smiled and turned to leave.
Her entourage followed her back to the elevator. Definitely different. Hopefully, this wouldn’t have to happen very often. They rode down to the first floor and after turning in her badge, left the building, and once again ascended to the parking garage. They drove over to Stone Security.
Seeing Dante would be great. Unfortunately that would have to wait until after her meeting. Thinking and any of her men sometimes didn’t go together.
Isaac led the way into Stone Security. This part at least had a lot of steel, chrome, and black. He headed straight for a large desk.
“We need to get you a badge. Security has changed here in recent months.” Isaac glanced back at her.
“All right.” She nodded. A security company should have good security. A badge was the least of what she expected when she came here. What had they changed? Maybe she’d ask Dante that.
“Hi, Kev, this is Moriah. She needs a badge. Guest M status.” Isaac put an arm on the desk.
“This is their Moriah?” Kev stared at her with wide eyes.
“Yes, she decided to come today.” Isaac glanced at her.
“They told me that she’d probably have a meeting here, but not that it would be today.” Kev shook his head, but pulled a badge out of a drawer. He scanned it and tapped on the keyboard.
“I wanted to surprise them. Well, him, since Cael’s not here. The realtor could meet with me today, but otherwise not until Wednesday. Are all of the conference rooms in use?” Moriah frowned.
“No, there’s one free, but I hadn’t thought of you surprising them. I’ll call up and have someone get you some refreshments for your meeting.” Kev handed over the badge. “Are those for your meeting?”
“Thank you. No, it’s for Dante.” Moriah put the box on the desk long enough to fasten the badge to her shirt.
“They smell delicious.” Kev smiled. “You can go right on up now. Your conference room is on the fourth floor. When you get up there, someone will show you to it. Did you want me to tell Dante you’re here now or send him to the conference room?”
“She will go see him after her meeting with the realtor. At least, that’s the plan. And by the way, it tastes even better than it smells.” Isaac urged her toward the doors to the interior of the building.
She smiled and went along with him. Excitement bubbled within her. The realtor should be here soon. A new part of her life was beginning, which was good.
She tapped her feet as they rode up to the fourth floor. The elevator opened, and a man stood waiting for them. He smiled.
“Hi, Isaac, and this must be Moriah.” The black-haired man stepped forward. “I’m Chase.”
“Hello.” Moriah held out her hand. “Yes, I’m Moriah.”
“The conference room is ready for you. We have water, tea, and coffee in there for your meeting.” Chase shook her hand. “Did you need any snacks? We could have some sandwiches brought up.”
“No, I don’t think it’s going to be that long of a meeting. I would have come earlier if I did.” Moriah smiled. “The drinks will be more than enough. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Come this way.” Chase turned and led the way.
She trailed along after him with Isaac and Leif following her. Chase opened the door and stepped out to the side. She strode into the conference room. Video equipment, ports for electronics, and a long dark wood table. Much longer than she needed to talk with the realtor.
“Is this going to be all right?” Chase stood in the doorway.
“More than. I’m only meeting with a realtor.” Moriah grinned. “Isaac, if my meeting runs long and you think Dante might leave, do you think you could call him down or get him here some way?”
“I can do that.” Isaac nodded.
* * * *
Dante checked his email for anything that needed immediate attention one last time and lifted his briefcase onto the desk. He put in his laptop and tablet as well as a file. Almost time to go home to Moriah. His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked. Chase. One of his IT managers.
“Hi, Chase, is something wrong?” He sat back in his chair. Hopefully not another hacking attempt. It probably wouldn’t be another kid.
“One of our clients is here and says he has a meeting with you. Someone showed them to a conference room, but they’ve been sitting there waiting for a while. Do you know anything about it?” Chase asked.
Dante flicked his finger over the daily calendar he had synced to his phone. Nothing there. No meeting. No mention of clients.
“No, I don’t, but I’ll come down there and talk to them.” And someone’s ass was going to be chewed for dropping this ball. Clients weren’t left to sit and stew. That wasn’t how they got repeat business and referrals.
“I’ll see you in a few then,” Chase said.
Dante marched from his office. His long stride ate up the distance between it and the elevator. How did this happen? It had been a while since a mess up of this magnitude occurred. He stabbed at the call button. As he waited for the doors to open, he tapped his hands against his thigh. Fucking hell. Going in blind sucks. What the hell is this meeting even about?
The doors opened. He stepped in punched the button for the fourth floor and waited as it drifted down. Too damn slow. He should have taken the stairs. If he had, he’d already be down there.
The doors swished aside on the fourth floor. He paced out. Chase stood waiting for him. A smile briefly curved Chase’s lips, but disappeared in the next second. Had he mistaken it? Dante shook his head. Chase’s expression didn’t matter. Getting to those clients did.
He hurried down the hall, but kept his arms loose and took a few deep breaths. Have to appear relaxed and prepared, even if I’m not even close to that.
“The main conference room?” Dante glanced down the hall to the room. It had no windows along the hallway.
“Yes, they’re waiting on you.” Chase nodded.
Dante exhaled and strolled toward the room. He straightened his jacket and calmed his breathing. As he approached, a hint of cinnamon and apple teased him. Where is that coming from?
Chapter Twenty Two
He opened the door and stepped inside. His gaze swept over Brandon Jennings and then to a female sitting two seats away. She glanced up, and the bright green eyes stopped him.
“Moriah.” He strode around the table to her. His heart slammed against his chest.
She rose and opened her arms. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him. A button-down red shirt hugged her breasts, and tight blue jeans encased her thighs. Warmth spread through him. She hummed and pressed her lips against his neck.
“I didn’t know you were coming today. You should have called before you left the community.” He glanced further down the table and saw Isaac and Leif sitting there. They should have told him.
“I wanted to surprise you.” She kissed him before she leaned back. “If I’d gotten finished talking about the properties before it was time for you to leave, I would have come up to see you.”
“Well, you did surprise me. How many did you bring with you today?” He glanced at Leif.
“We had another car follow us and three more men.” Leif leaned back in the chair.
“Are you finished with your meeting?” Dante glanced down at Moriah.
“No, we were still going through some of the locations, and Brandon was telling me about the areas. Some of them sound really good.” Moriah smiled. Her soft hand stroked over his face.
“She’ll still have to check and see if a bakery would fit and do well in those areas, but there are three or four definite possibilities.” Brandon flicked his finger over the screen of his tablet.
“Why don’t you show me some of them and we can continue your meeting?” Dante lowered her to her feet and sat down in the chair next to hers.
“All right.” She nodded and gestured to the screen. “We synced it to your display system there.”
He put his arm around her and settled back to relax. “I don’t mind. If it made looking at your prospective locations easier, feel free.”
As they went through the locations, Dante stroked his fingers over her shoulder. She leaned as close to him as the chairs would allow. He could lift her into his lap, but that wouldn’t be conducive to finishing the meeting or listening. This was important. He wouldn’t distract her.
Eventually, Brandon showed them the last of the properties and stood. “I understand that you have a lot to go over and research to do. As well as some problems to clear away. When you’re ready, give me a call, and we’ll go see some of these places in person so that you can get a better idea of size and if they’ll work for your business.”
“Yes, there is a lot to do. Thank you for coming to meet me. I know it’s out of the normal. I’m not even ready to begin looking yet, because of the issue. But when I am, you can bet that I’ll come to you.” Moriah rose from her chair and shook his hand.
“Hey, when you’re working with our kind, not normal is sometimes part of the job description.” Brandon smiled. “Besides as good as what you brought smells, you’
ve got to open up a new bakery.”
Dante straightened. She brought something. He looked around and on the other end of the table was a white box.
“Thank you for helping her.” Dante shook Brandon’s hand. “What’s that in the box?”
“A surprise for you.” Moriah spun the chair around to face him.
He strode down to the end of the table and flipped open the lid. The scent of cinnamon and apple wafted up to him, strong and fresh. His mouth watered. Frosting topped twelve cupcakes. A tiny chunk of apple rested at the crown of the swirl.
“What are these?” He lifted one out of the box and peeled away the wrapper at the base.
“Those are a variation on my apple cakes.” She smiled and leaned forward. “Go ahead. Tell me if you like it.”
He bit into it. Apple flavored even the creamy topping. He closed his eyes as he chewed. Chunks of apple scattered through the cake and in the center of the little treat, an apple filling. He’d died and gone to heaven.
“I love it, but why are you bringing me these?” Dante lifted the box up in one hand and continued munching on the cupcake as he strolled over to her.
“Because I wanted to. Because I’m glad you’re back home with us, even though I do wish you’d stayed home with me that first day after they released you from the hospital.” She lifted a shoulder.
“Sunshine, the doctors said I was fine. I didn’t feel bad after the poison left me. I could definitely come back and sit in a chair.” Dante shook his head. She hadn’t been happy and asked him to stay with her. And he almost had just to be with her.
“Yeah, but you could have used some rest to recover.” She put a hand on her hip. “And for me to recover from you getting attacked before you left the community driving alone in your car again.”
“I might have been alone in my car, but I wasn’t alone on the road. Three other people have been commuting to and from work with me so we won’t be caught alone on that road by the Gobel.” Dante shook his head. That was one lesson he didn’t need to learn again. “We’ve taken precautions to make it safe for everyone, and no one is driving anywhere alone even if they are alone in their car. There’s someone following them.”
Finding Their Flame [Stone Passions 2] Page 18
